Today's Praise and Worship Tips for Guitar and Keyboard at Essential Worship

"PRAISE BEYOND THE SONGS”

(Let It Breathe)

by Sandy Hoffman

We’ve all heard that inner voice before; during worship. It’s the one insisting that there’s more. More to worship than we’re experiencing! We identify with that voice, and recognize the deep longing in our hearts. We desire to be set free in worship, to offer our very own praise to God. Uninhibited by structure or form, voices raised, faces turned in the direction of heaven we ascend, with clean hands and a pure heart, “into the hill of the Lord.” (Psalm 24:3 & 4) In our “mind’s ear” we can hear the waves of worship crashing at the feet of Jesus. We feel the salty wind of the Spirit carrying us where He will; and the sands of the promised land are between our toes. It all sounds so fantastic and ethereal. Can we really get there from here? Is it possible to know the flow of praise beyond the songs?

“FREE WORSHIP” GRIDLOCK

Rather than flowing freely, often our worship times more closely resemble stop and go traffic. We play the first song, then stop. Next song we start again, then stop again. Maybe we pray or read a scripture, then start, stop, start, STOP!! In order for our teams ever to break free from this bumper-to-bumper mode, we need to drive for a while on a smooth, straight highway of corporate worship; coursing itself through wide-open spaces of personal praise.

THE HIGHWAY

The highway of worship we’re referring to is represented by our predetermined worship sets. These include our praise and worship songs, programmed prayers, responsive readings, inspirational video clips, worship dramas, dance, scriptures and other elements planned out before the actual worship time ever begins. With proper training and practice, the skills needed to plan an effective worship set list can be acquired; then honed to a very high proficiency level. This is the well-paved road which solid corporate worship travels.

THE WIDE-OPEN SPACES

The “spaces,” are another thing altogether. While the worship highway gives us a stable, predictable road to follow from the beginning to the end of a worship time, the wide-open spaces surrounding the highway give opportunity for the free flow of personal and corporate worship. Our worship should breathe, exhibiting a healthy mixture of programmed and spontaneous elements. As much as we love and embrace the latest worship songs from our favorite worship leader/writers, I believe that nothing compares to freely expressed praises springing from the hearts of “off the road” congregational worshipers!

CREATING THE SPACE

What if we break out of some of our worship time ruts, and begin to search diligently for the wide-open spaces? If you’re ready to give it a try, here are some tips to help take us from the safe, smooth highway of predictability, into the unexplored regions of inspired praise.

1- FREE WORSHIP CHORD PROGRESSIONS

       Probably the most common device for facilitating free worship during an already programmed worship time, is the free worship chord progression. A worship song usually makes a broad, general statement of praise or adoration to God. But at times we feel the need to be more specific or personal than the lyrical expressions of the composer. This is where free worship chord progressions serve best.

       By ending a worship song with a many times repeated chord progression or “vamp,” we allow the worshiper time to offer individual praises and thanksgiving. We should flow smoothly from the end of the song into the free worship chord progression. Because the song and the progression are in the same key and tempo, often the free worship chord progression leads us right back into the song itself for a more predictable finish.

       Free worship chord progressions usually mirror the most common chord sequence within the preceding song. If the tune is in the key of “E,” and is using a chord progression such as “E - A2 - B4 - A2,” it is easy to continue repeating the progression at the end of the song, thereby providing the worshipers opportunity to offer their personal praises. Then, when the moment is right, we simply move on to the next programed song.

2- ALPHA AND OMEGA SONGS

This suggestion is a bit risky, but it’s a wonderful facilitator of free worship. Let me challenge you, just this once, to plan a worship time with only a beginning song, and an ending song (alpha and omega) with NOTHING in between. “What do I do with all that space?” you ask. That’s between you, the team and God. Why not try this at a worship team rehearsal first? Open with prayer, hand out the charts for alpha and omega, then ask the team to trust the Holy Spirit with you for whatever happens in the middle. As long as it is Christ-honoring, it’s a good thing. If it works well at rehearsal, take it up a notch to the congregation, and watch what the Lord will do.

3- WORSHIP WITHOUT WORDS

       In 1995, our Youth With A Mission School of Music in Missions found itself on the border between Germany and The Netherlands. We were attending the historic “In Your Presence” Worship Festival, celebrating 50 years since the end of World War II. This was the first time we ever experienced “worship without words.”

       The rules were simple enough: 1) No words (except prophetic songs or sung scriptures). 2) It’s OK to: hum, la, play rhythms, play instruments, dance, whirl, leap, bow, lift up hands, etc. 3) Any sound except for words is acceptable. 4) Silence is acceptable.

       We were amazed as the worship team began to play chordal progressions with solo improvisations. They encouraged the corporate body to begin to honor God as they were inspired. There were no charts, and little structure, but the worship times flowed smoothly under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Those in attendance expressed their praises in a myriad of ways including playing rhythms on the backs of metal chairs, and humming the most heavenly melodies. Since then, some of the sweetest, most sincere worship I’ve ever experienced has been without any words.

       As worship leader/followers, we must not allow the wheels of worship to become stuck in the rut of routine! Our God is first, the Creator, and we have His permission to exercise that wonderful gift of creativity in worship. It’s our never-ending privilege to discover new ways to praise Him—beyond the songs!